Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
by Skyheart77
Summary: A normal day at the Order is torn apart by a scream. Allen's scream. But when his friends arrive there, they find him whole and relatively unharmed. Except his personality...which has done a 180 degree turn. Characters are kinda OOC.
1. Prologue

Lenalee hummed a little tune as she carried the cup of coffee towards the science department. The moment she entered the door, she was greeted by the usual hectic sight, of Komui trying to wriggle out of Reever's grip as he tried to run away to escape work.

At the sight of Lenalee, Komui managed to squirm free like a fish. He rushed to Lenalee's side, salivating and chanting repeatedly, "Coffee…coffee…coffee from my dear Lenalee…"

Lenalee gave an indulgent smile as she lifted the tray, "Here's your coffee, brother."

Lavi groaned as he sank further into a gigantic pile of books. He covered his head with a book thicker than his fist.

Bookman snorted at him, "How can you hope to succeed me if you can't even handle reading these few books?"

"Give me a break!" Lavi complained, "We've been at it for four hours! And I've already one fifty-two books!"

Bookman pointed out ruthlessly, "I've done seventy-five. So keep going."

Lavi mumbled under his breath.

Kanda slashed brutally at the wooden dummies before him, his long blue hair streaming out behind him. Other onlookers slowly, cautiously edged away as Kanda's attacks got fiercer and fiercer.

Without pausing, Kanda gave an uppercut and sent the dummy flying into the air. Then he turned and glared murderously at the people who had come to watch him practice. Immediately, almost the entire bunch of them fled, fearing for their lives.

Yep, this was the way a usual day started out at the Black Order.

Then there was an ear-piercing scream. And another. And then it broke of suddenly, abruptly. Lenalee, Lavi and Kanda's heads immediately whipped around, like the others around them. The only difference was that they were the only ones who recognised that voice at once.

"Allen…" As one, yet separately, the trio whispered. Then they took off from their respective positions, all making their way to the same destination: Allen Walker's room.

Lenalee reached there first, thanks to her Dark Boots. She knocked on the door repeatedly, anxiously, but there was no reply. Lavi was the next to arrive there. He watched silently as Lenalee's knocks became more frantic, till she was hammering on the door. But still there was no reply. The duo stared at each other in horror.

Finally, Kanda arrived. He glared at the other two in disgust, "Are you stupid or what? Knock the damn door down!" He pushed them aside, and just slammed his body into the door, which immediately gave way. They rushed into the bedroom, but it was empty. Lavi lunged for the toilet door, and forced it open. Then he stopped and stared. Kanda and Lenalee came up behind him. And they, too, froze in surprise.

Allen Walker was just straightening up, from where he had been lying on the ground. The mirror in the toilet was broken, and its bloodied, shattered fragments lay scattered on the ground. Allen's left fist was badly cut, and covered in bright red blood. He turned. He was still human, and not a Noah, like the trio had feared at first. But he was completely different.

Allen Walker gave the trio the most evil, menacing glare they had ever seen (yes, it was even more frightening than Kanda's)

Then he said in a voice, cold and sharp as ice, "Scram. You're not welcome here."


	2. Chapter One

Kanda froze in shock. Lavi stared at his best friend, hardly believing his own ears. Lenalee stuttered, "A…Allen-kun…wha…what are you saying?"

"I said, you're not welcome!" Allen snarled. He suddenly grabbed Lavi by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "And when I say something, I mean it!" With an astounding force, he hurled Lavi right out of the room. Then, without missing a beat, he shoved Lenalee and Kanda out as well. Lenalee was so shocked that she didn't even move. But the surprising thing was that Kanda did not react either.

The door slammed shut in their face. Lavi stared at the others, "He…he seems totally weird."

"Didn't either of you notice it? His left hand." Kanda said quietly, still staring at the door as if he could burn holes through it just by staring hard enough.

"What about his left hand?" Lenalee demanded, not in the mood for guessing.

Kanda turned to look at them, his eyes filled with uncertainty and bewilderment, "His Innocence…is gone."

He stared at himself in the remains of the mirror. Except this wasn't him. This small, scrawny figure of a boy was NOT him. But he had no choice. He reached out and touched the mirror, his fingers running gently over the reflection of the cursed eye. Soon, this torture would be over…

He suddenly doubled over in pain, gasping. His fingers clutched at his face as he fell to his knees, and his nails drew blood from his face, wounding it slightly. It _hurt_. Hurt so badly he had never imagined an agony like this. He pulled himself up by sheer force of will, and stared at his own bloodied face. It seemed to blur and swim before him. Then he fainted.

"What do you mean? Where in the world is Allen now?" Komui demanded, looking shocked after he had heard what the three Exorcists told him.

"He should still be in his room. We have to hurry before he leaves his room." Lenalee said urgently. Komui nodded, standing up and hurrying after them.

By the time they got to Allen's room, it had almost been fifteen minutes since they first heard Allen scream. Lavi and Kanda glanced briefly at each other, before both readied themselves and threw their shoulders right into the door, which flew open with scarcely any resistance.

Komui charged into the toilet after the others. And he was stunned to see Allen calmly sweeping up the shattered pieces of the mirror into a dustpan.

Allen looked up and asked, "Oh, you're all here. I was just about to look for you and ask if you know what happened here…"

Lavi blinked in confusion, "What do you mean, Allen?"

Allen looked puzzled as he replied, "I don't know either. I just found myself lying here when I woke up, and there was all this glass around me…I might have broken it by accident though…" He stared down at his fist, where there were still traces of blood. There were also some slight wounds on his face, apparently made by someone's nails.

"You…you don't remember anything?" Lenalee asked, looking confused and more than a little frightened now.

"Um…I remember going to sleep yesterday night. But other than that…no. Is there something I should remember?" Allen asked quizzically, looking at them. But they did not reply.

"Uh…no, of course there isn't. I bet you're starving. Why don't we leave the cleaning up to Komui and go have some lunch?" Lavi replied with a forced smile, after an awkward silence.

Allen hesitated, glancing uncertainly at Komui. At that moment, his stomach gave a loud protest, indicating the need to visit Jerry.

"Don't worry, Allen. You go ahead. I'll have Reever handle this." Komui said distractedly. Allen seemed somewhat convinced by the Chief's words. Giving one of his trademark warm smiles, he thanked Komui and left for lunch with Lavi.

He did not notice Kanda, whose eyes were constantly fixed upon his left hand.

Komui turned to Lenalee and Kanda, "Was that supposed to be some kind of joke? He seems fine, other than the fact that he has blood on his hand and face." He sounded skeptical as he looked at them.

"Brother, I swear that what we said just now was real. We saw it, with our own eyes. And we heard and felt it too. That guy we saw when Lavi, Kanda and I first came in…he wasn't Allen. Even though he looked completely Allen, his personality was totally twisted. There's something wrong with Allen." Lenalee answered seriously. She glanced at the remains of the mirror, and gave a slight shudder.

"Well, he seems fine now. So maybe he was just…I don't know. But let's just observe him for a while and see how it goes. Okay?" Komui asked, trying to give a reasonable way of dealing with this.

Lenalee nodded reluctantly. She clearly wanted to do more to find out about what was going on, but had no idea how to do it.

"Kanda?" Komui asked, looking at the blue-haired samurai to see if he had any objections.

Kanda's head finally lifted to meet Komui's eyes, and he said only one thing, "His Innocence was back."


	3. Chapter Two

It had almost been a month since Allen's bizarre switch in personalities, which had only been witnessed by Lavi, Lenalee and Kanda. In spite of the trio swearing that they had been telling the truth about what they had seen, the rest of the Black Order had yet to witness ANY change in Allen's personality. In fact, he was still the same warm, caring guy as before. In fact, Allen himself gave absolutely no indication that he knew what had happened. Until one day…

"Where's Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked. She had been a lot more concerned about Allen since That Incident', as the trio had taken to calling it.

Lavi looked up from the book he was reading, "Allen? I'm not very sure, but I thought he was at the canteen with Krory?"

"I'll go and join them then." Lenalee immediately said, striding away. Lavi shook his head. Sometimes Lenalee was just way too protective, like a mother hen.

Lenalee was right outside the canteen, when she suddenly heard a cry of pain, the voice ever so familiar. She froze, and a single thought ran through her mind: not again. Then she charged right into the canteen.

She was greeted by a horrible sight. Allen was lying on the ground in convulsions. His face was wet with sweat that also drenched his clothes, and his hair was matted. Blood flowed freely over his left hand, horribly reminiscent of That Incident. Food and the shattered pieces of Allen's plates lay all around him. Krory and Miranda were standing around Allen, their arms waving in panic. They wanted to do something to help, but did not know what to do, and feared that they would make things worse.

Lenalee rushed up to Allen's side. She hesitated for a moment, then said briefly, "I'll bring him to the medical ward." Ignoring Allen's flailing limbs and trembling body, she lifted Allen, demonstrating her remarkable strength, and shot off with her Dark Boots activated.

Lenalee reached Allen's room in record time. She threw the door open, and hurried in, letting Allen fall to the bed with a thump. Allen still seemed to be having a seizure; he was now making choking noises, writhing in pain on the bed.

Kanda strode into the room. Lenalee looked at him in surprise, but Kanda just muttered, "Marie heard Allen cry and told me, so I figured…"

Both looked down at Allen. Then Kanda reached forward and held Allen down, trying to prevent him from injuring himself. There was nothing they could do but to wait, watching helplessly as Allen suffered, groaning in agony.

Then, slowly, amazingly, they watched as the Crown Clown seemed to twist, become more deformed than ever. It writhed, practically growing and bending out of shape, and seemed to be pulsing. Lenalee's eyes widened in horror at the sight, and she almost fainted, having to clutch onto the table. Even Kanda took a fearful step back.

Then a queer, silvery, wispy essence appeared to seep out of the Crown Clown. The duo stared, stunned. As the silvery essence left Allen's arm, it left behind a perfectly normal looking human arm. The essence rose, floating above them for a few moments. Then it shot forward, right into Allen's sweating head, and vanished.

Allen immediately froze. His eyes flickered open and he stared upwards. Lenalee was shocked to find that his eye colour had suddenly changed, from its usual warm gray to a startling green colour, much like the green of the cross that had formerly been on his claw Innocence. Tentatively, she asked, "Allen? Are you alright?"

Allen swung up and gave her a piercing, "You don't even deserve to talk to me, let alone feel concern for me. Now scram. Your presence taints my being."

Lenalee stared at him. His personality had transformed. Just like it had last time. Kanda's eyes were still riveted upon Allen's now-human arm. So this was what had happened the previous time.

Allen demanded, "Well? Get out before I throw you out like I did back then."

"So you remember what happened last time, then?" A sharp voice asked. Lavi and Komui stood by the door, having entered without anyone noticing them.

Allen gave a snort, "Of course I do, considering I had to throw you out physically."

"So who are you?" Komui asked then, his voice cold as flint and more serious than any of them had ever heard before. His eyes were narrowed with mistrust, and his hand slipped inconspicuously into his pocket.

"I'm Allen Walker." Allen told them in a matter-of-fact, contemptuous tone. "Are you Exorcists so dumb as to actually forget that?"

"You're not Allen Walker. I don't know who you are, but you're not Allen. The Allen I knew would never just refer to ask as 'Exorcists'. The Allen I knew would never have been so rude to us. The Allen I knew was a warm, naïve boy. Not a rude, cold man." Lavi's voice was flat and emotionless, as his eyes bored into 'Allen's'. His fingers tightened around Odzuchi Kodzuchi.

"Then maybe you didn't really know him very well, did you?" 'Allen' laughed snidely, a laugh that they had never heard from him before.

"If you are Allen, why do you refer to yourself in the third person?" Kanda pointed out quietly, a slight smirk on his face and in his tone. 'Allen' hesitated. His eyes slowly met those of all the other occupants of the room. He smiled, "This is only the beginning."

Then he collapsed onto the bed, seemingly unconscious. His left arm emitted an unusual, dark glow. And with a flash, his body returned to normal.


	4. Chapter 3

"So now do you believe us?" Kanda demanded, glaring at Komui.

Komui, Lenalee, Lavi and Kanda stood around Allen's bed, staring down at Allen's unconscious form. Komui looked grim as he replied, "Unfortunately I do. Now we just have to find out what in the world is going on."

"We also have to make sure that Central doesn't find out." Lenalee interrupted. She, more than anyone else, knew what Central would do to Allen once they found out about this new turn of events.

There was a lengthy silence as they watched Allen. Then Allen groaned, and began to stir. He opened his eyes slowly, and stared in bewilderment at the other, "Huh? What are you guys doing here? What am I doing here? Wasn't I in the canteen?"

"You…suddenly fainted, so we brought you back." Lavi immediately replied. He glanced away, not daring to meet Allen's eyes.

"I fainted?" Allen sounded confused. "Why would I suddenly faint for no reason?"

"Maybe…you've just been feeling too stressed lately or something. Anyway do you feel okay now?" Komui asked concernedly. Now his tone was truly caring, for he really cared for this young, naïve boy.

"Um…yeah. I've just got a slight headache, but other than that, I feel fine." Allen answered, massaging his temples with his fingers.

"Good. So…I guess we'll all just get back to our own rooms, then?" Lavi looked meaningfully at the others. Then they all nodded and, after saying their goodbyes to Allen, left the room.

Allen remained seated on his bed. Then he looked down at his hand. Why was it covered in blood?

"So now we know that there are two possibilities. One, Allen is completely aware of everything that's happening, and he, for some reason, doesn't want us to know that HE knows. In which case then I must say Allen's really a better actor than I took him for.

"The second possibility is obvious: he has absolutely no idea what's going on. Thereby meaning that he really just can't remember what happens when he 'transforms' into that other personality. So, given our understanding of Allen, which do you guys think it'll be?" Lavi listed down the two possibilities, viewing the problem with the analytical mind of a Bookman.

Kanda snorted, "That is really a very stupid question, _Bookman Junior_. Even you, despite your idiocy, should be able to answer it. Obviously it's the second possibility. There's no way in hell that Beansprout could be such a good actor."

Komui shook his head, "Well whatever, the case, what we can indeed confirm is that something we have never witnessed before is happening to Allen. Either he's transforming into the Fourteenth, or…well, I don't know. What else could be happening to him?"

Lenalee was more skeptical, "Are you sure? He doesn't look like a Noah. It's just that his Innocence seems to disappear into his…head, and he becomes very different in terms of personality. That isn't the transformation of a Noah, is it? But if that's the case, then what IS happening to him?"

There was a long silence. And it was Lavi who suggested it, "Multi-personality disorder?"

Kanda almost choked, "What? You're saying that Beansprout has TWO personalities?"

"It's a distinct possibility." Was all Lavi said, and from his tone, Kanda could tell that he was not joking.

"But…how can we find out if that's really the case?" Lenalee asked. She glanced at the other three men, waiting.

"You probably noticed this…but when Allen 'transformed', his Innocence seemed to change its form and enter his head. So…if we operated on him, perhaps…" Komui's voice trailed off, as all three youngsters turned to stare at him.

"WHAT? You're suggesting we perform brain surgery on Allen?" Lavi demanded incredulously. "You're crazy, Komui!"

"This could well be the only solution we have left!" argued Komui. "What's to say this won't happen again? As a matter of fact, these 'transformations' are probably going to occur with increasing frequency! At the moment, we don't have any other solution, so since this is the only way, and also perhaps the best, then we might as well try it out!" He glared at Lavi, then Kanda.

"But what if something goes wrong in the middle of the operation? What is he dies? What then?" Lenalee asked softly. Her fists clenched as she posed the question to her brother, who hesitated for a moment before answering through gritted teeth, "It's a risk we have to take."

Lenalee shook her head, looking at her brother in horror, "No." That was all she said before she fled from the room, unwilling to listen to this conversation anymore.

Lavi's eyes rose to meet Komui's and Komui could see the disbelief in Lavi's eyes as Lavi said, "You can go ahead with this plan if you want. But you can be sure that none of us will support you." With that, both he and Kanda left the room as well.

Komui was left alone in his office. His fists clenched, his breathing becoming harsher. Then, slowly, he sank to his knees, his head in his hands


	5. Chapter Four

"What do you mean? I have to undergo an operation? Why? I'm perfectly healthy, aren't I?" Allen stared at Komui, confused. His lunch lay on the table before him, forgotten. Lavi's body became tense, and he shot Komui a death glare, which Komui simply ignored.

Komui nodded earnestly, focusing on Allen, "Well, it's more of like a checkup to ensure that nothing's wrong with you, so…"

Allen looked skeptical, "Are you sure? I mean, why do I need an operation just to make sure there's nothing wrong with me?" He glanced at Krory who sat beside him, and Krory nodded in agreement, looking at Komui questioningly.

"Just trust me," Komui said in a soothing tone. He tried to smile reassuringly at Allen. Allen shrugged, nodding in consent. Yet Komui could tell that he was not fully convinced.

Lavi suddenly stood up, his fists clenched. He snarled at Komui, "Yeah, just trust and leave everything to Komui, the amazing surgeon." Without another word, he stormed away from them.

Allen stared after his best friend, "What's wrong with him?"

Komui forced himself not to look at Lavi, and gave Allen a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Never mind. Let's schedule this operation for…next week? Is that all right with you?"

Allen gave another shrug. It was all fine by him.

The week seemed to just fly past, and no more 'transformations' occurred during that time. Komui was simply relieved. Lavi, Kanda and Lenalee felt the same way, but their relief was mixed with anger towards Komui and his absurd plan. They were certain that this operation would do more harm than good to Allen.

However, the very day before the operation was scheduled to take place, there was a change in plans.

Malcolm Leverrier arrived.

"What? You want to send Allen on a mission to Alaska to look for an Innocence that might not even be there?" Komui nearly shouted at Leverrier.

Leverrier, on the other hand, was much calmer. He sat on his seat, sipping his coffee. At Komui's outburst, he simply raised an eye and replied mildly, "I want Lenalee Lee, Allen Walker, Yuu Kanda and Bookman Junior Lavi to investigate not just the possible existence of an Innocence in Alaska, but also the presence of a two or more Noahs in that area. Do you have a problem?"

"But…but why must it be Allen? Can't you send any other Exorcist?" Komui asked, desperately trying to get Allen out of this mission.

Leverrier practically slammed his cup down onto his saucer as he said, "No. I want Allen Walker to go on this mission. Unless there is some specific reason why he cannot?" He lifted his head to look at Komui, his eyes sharp and questioning.

Komui hesitated. Central must not know of Allen's new condition, or he would be forced to undergo experiments that even God would fear. Unwillingly, reluctantly, he answered, "No, everything's fine. I'll arrange for them to prepare themselves for the trip and leave as soon as possible."

Leverrier gave a condescending nod, "See that it's done." With that, he got to his feet, and dropped the teacup and saucer, both of which fell to the ground with a smash. Then, with a smirk at Komui, he swept out of the room.

Komui's fists clenched in rage. Never before had the desire to smash Leverrier's brains out been so strong. Of all the inconvenient times! It seemed that he had no choice but to delay the operation, and hope that nothing worse happened to Allen during that time. He gave an exaggerated sigh. At least…at the very least, he would be safe with the others…


	6. Chapter Five

Lenalee waited till Allen had left the cabin to go to the toilet before saying, "I suppose it's a good thing we were sent on this mission. It'll delay the operation, so we can have more time to try and figure out what's wrong with Allen and help him in the _safest_ way possible."

Lavi nodded in agreement, "At least he doesn't have to suffer at your brother's hands for the time being…"

Kanda 'ched' and looked out of the window.

All of a sudden, they heard an ear-piercing scream of agony. The three Exorcists looked at each other in horror. Then they leapt out of their seats, rushing towards the direction of the toilet.

"Beansprout! Beansprout you open this goddamn door right now!" Kanda bellowed as he hammered on the toilet door, ignoring the weird looks and glares the other passengers gave him.

There was a dead, ominous silence on the other side…

"You stupid, retarded, idiotic Beansprout! Open the door!" Kanda punched the door, but there was still no response. Finally, Kanda gave up hammering. He took a few steps back, and threw his shoulder into the door, which slammed open with a resounding bang.

'Allen Walker' stood facing Kanda's, his expression colder than ever. Kanda met 'Allen's' gaze with a glare of his own, and the tension between them almost made Lavi and Lenalee draw back in fear.

"You again. Who are you?" Lavi demanded angrily.

'Allen's' head slowly turned to face Lavi. He gave a smirk that looked out of place on his face, "Hello, Rabbit."

Lavi's face contorted into a look of dislike, "Answer me! Who are you?"

'Allen' gave a cruel laugh, "One who is far higher than you. And anyway, at this point, you shouldn't be worrying about who I am. Because your true enemies are coming."

"What?" Lavi frowned, "What true enemies?"

'Allen' continued smiling.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud from above, like something heavy had landed on top of the train. Kanda's eyes widened in realization. With lightning reflexes, he reached out and grabbed Lenalee and Lavi, leaping backwards and pulling them along.

He was just in time. As they leapt away, the roof of the train seemed to cave in. Two Akumas fell from above. One was a wolf-like creature, with spikes for fur, and guns protruding from its body. The other was like a gigantic spider, except it had eight guns in addition to its eight legs. The screams of the other passengers rang out all around them, and people nearby fled.

"What the hell are they?" Lenalee shouted. They looked a little like Level Twos, but the aura and menace surrounding them were far stronger and deadlier, and they both had white pentacles on their heads, which was not normal for Level Twos.

"They're Level Fives. Far stronger than anything you've ever faced before." 'Allen' calmly replied as he stood face-to-face with the Akumas.

The wolf Akuma lunged straight for 'Allen', while its spider companion scuttled towards the other three Exorcists.

"Innocence, hajudo!" Kanda, Lenalee and Lavi all shouted. There was a bright glow from them as their Innocences activated. Lavi swung the Odzuchi Kodzuchi, knocking the spider Akuma back.

"Allen, what are you doing? Activate your Innocence!" Lenalee screamed, when she saw that 'Allen' was still standing motionless.

'Allen' laughed contemptuously. He waved a hand, and a spike of stone shot out from the ground, nearly impaling the wolf Akuma. The train gave a tremendous shake, and a loud screeching could be heard from the train's wheels screeched against the tracks.

The spider Akuma attacked again with incredible speed, but Kanda was equal to it. He ducked and slashed out, grazing the spider. Then he shouted, "Kaichu, Ichigen!" The Hell Insects flew out at the spider, but seemed to dissolve into nothing as they came into contact with the spider. Kanda's eyes widened in shock. Caught unawares, the spider managed to knock him flat on his back. Lenalee and Lavi were also thrown against the walls of the train.

There was a loud explosion-like sound from ahead. Then the train simply flipped around with a resounding crash. Yells and screams echoed all around, and the Exorcists were brutally flung to one side.

For a few long minutes, there was only the sound of screaming, of howling, of chaos. Then Lenalee opened her eyes. Her entire body hurt, and she was surrounded by the remains of the train, with debris lying all around.

Groaning, she pushed herself up. Then she felt herself lifted into the air. As she looked down, she realised it was the spider. Lenalee tried to fight back, but could not muster the strength too. All she could do was wait, helplessly.

"Let her go." A voice stated, flat. Lenalee weakly turned her head.

Lavi and Kanda lay by one side, unconscious. The wolf Akuma, however, lay lifeless on the ground. Its body was covered with scratches and huge holes. Even as she watched, it exploded into flames. She flinched. Only then did she notice him.

'Allen' stood before them, his hair tossed by the wind. Wordlessly, he lifted a hand and slashed.

The spider Akuma screamed in agony as a huge cut appeared at her side.

'Allen' clenched his fist. The ground seemed to split apart, and the spider Akuma was swallowed by flames. Lenalee stared in amazement. Was 'Allen' doing all this? It was unbelievable.

Then her vision began to blur, and all went dark.


	7. Chapter Six

Lavi groaned as he opened his eyes. From the sickly clean smell all around him, he could guess where he was. The light was unbearably bright, and he had to blink several times before his eyes could adjust to it. He turned his head. Kanda and Lenalee lay on the beds next to him, still knocked out.

"I see Patient Number One is awake!" A cheerful voice said. Lavi lifted his head slightly, only to see smiling nurse walk towards him. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Uh…a bit…numb." Lavi replied, ogling at the pretty nurse.

"Can you try and move a bit?" the nurse asked, raising a brow.

Lavi tried to shift his arms and legs, but was deterred by a sharp pain in all of his limbs. He gasped, eyes watering as he said, "It hurts…a lot."

"Well, that's to be expected." The nurse replied calmly as she scribbled on her notepad.

"What the hell does that mean, that's to be expected? Normal people don't go around having excruciating pain in their limbs when they try to move!" Lavi exclaimed, slightly outraged by her composure.

"Normal people don't, but people who have broken bones in every single one of their limbs can hardly expect anything less." The nurse answered. She turned to leave, saying, "Make sure you call when your two companions wake up." And she was gone.

Lavi cursed. Just wonderful. What kind of goddamn hospital was this anyway?

'Allen' staggered and leaned against the wall. It _hurt_. He clutched his head, barely holding back his scream. He doubled over, slamming his fist against the wall again and again and again, but nothing he did seemed to lessen his pain.

Dropping to his knees, 'Allen' gave a choked sob. Then he threw his head back, screaming a soundless scream. With that, he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"You're awake!" Lavi exclaimed.

Kanda groaned as he slowly lifted his head, only to see the red-haired Rabbit staring down at him. Gingerly, he pushed himself upright.

Lenalee was sitting on the chair in one corner. Lacerations and bruises could be seen all over her body, but the most serious injury she had sustained seemed to be her broken arm.

Lavi, on the other hand, was using a wheelchair, and one of his hands was in a cast while the other was bandaged.

Kanda muttered, "Where the hell are we? How long have I been out?"

Lavi cheerfully replied, "We're in a hospital. Apparently we were left outside the hospital and they took us in. You've been unconscious for almost a week now. I was out for two days. Lenalee woke up three days ago. You suffered from a concussion, so you're supposed to get more rest. Komui has already sent Bookman, Miranda and Krory down, so they should be here soon. Just lie down and relax."

Kanda's body DID relax. He was in the process of lowering his body down to the bed when he suddenly froze, "Where's the Beansprout?"

Lavi's smile faded. Lenalee looked away. Kanda watched their reactions, the ominous feeling within him growing, and he demanded, "Well?"

"We don't know. He was probably the one who left us here, but he's gone and we have no idea where he is now." Lenalee answered softly, her fists clenched in frustration.

Kanda cursed. This was turning out to be the worst mission he had ever received.

The very next day, Krory, Miranda and Bookman arrived.

Miranda and Krory were shocked to see the extent of their comrades' injuries. Bookman, however, was less concerned. He immediately strode up to Lavi and whacked him on the head, shouting, "You idiot apprentice! How long did you intend to keep the truth from me?"

Lavi yelled in pain and protested, "I'm an injured person! How can you hit me! What are you talking about anyway?"

Bookman faced him with piercing eyes, and said just two words, "Allen Walker."

Lavi hesitated. He glanced at Kanda and Lenalee for support, but neither of them knew what to do. Miranda and Krory just stared, confused.

"So? What has happened to the Destroyer of Time now?" Bookman asked.

Not knowing what else to do, Lavi began to explain everything that had happened.

When he reached the part about the Level Five, Bookman suddenly interrupted, "Are you sure it's a Level Five?"

Lenalee broke in, "We have no idea. We thought it was a Level Two at first. It was the transformed Allen who told us what it was. And from what we saw, it was far too strong to be just a Level Two. Except…" her voice trailed off.

"Except the transformed shortstack beat it so easily." Kanda finished.


	8. Chapter Seven

Allen groaned as he pushed his body up. He looked around at his surroundings, and a sense of panic seemed to grow within him. Where was he?

Well, at least he could sort-of answer that question. He was in a dark, dirty alley. He was alone, and it was almost completely dark, except for a dim light coming from a streetlamp somewhere further away.

Slowly, Allen stood up. His entire body ached all over, as if he had just been running non-stop for twenty-four hours. Dirt and grime coated his body, and he was sure it would take hours just to wash himself clean again.

He hobbled out of the alley. Looking all around him, he realised that he was in one of those small, backward towns. All around him was filth and dirt, as if no one bothered to clean the town. The houses were more like cottages, and they too were filthy. Allen was puzzled. Why was he here? Hadn't he been on the train with the others, on the way to Alaska?

Allen was in a completely unfamiliar environment, lost and alone. What was he supposed to do know?

"We have to find him before he gets into any more trouble." Krory immediately declared.

"Easily said, not easily done, Krory." Bookman retorted, folding his arms. "And besides, the three of them can't very well just go out and search for the beansprout in our current state right?"

Lavi and Lenalee looked slightly guilty. Kanda just 'ched'.

"So…we're just going to wander around the place until we find him? Have you got any idea HOW hard it's going to be? Kanda exclaimed, glaring at Bookman.

"That's the only method we have. Unless you can suggest anything better?" Lavi asked.

There was a dead, awkward silence.

"I'll contact Komui and get him to send the Finders out now." Miranda said, walking out of the room. Krory followed her out.

All of a sudden, there was an ear-splitting scream from outside. Every single one of the windows in the room exploded into fragments, showering the four Exorcists.

Lavi yelled as the shards cut into his flesh, blood streaming down his wounds. Then something shot into the room.

As the shards of glass finally settled on the ground around them, Krory and Miranda charged into the room. All six Exorcists stared at the other occupant of the room, mouth gaping in astonishment.

It resembled a Level Three, but had huge butterfly-like wings extending from its back, and stingers attached to its legs.

It was a Level Five.

"Innocence, invocate!"

Lavi swung the Odzuchi Kodzuchi with one hand, but the Akuma was too fast for him. Its wings flapped once, then it shot forward and kicked Lavi, throwing him right through a wall.

"Lavi!" Bookman shouted. He turned back to the Akuma and slashed his arm horizontally, hurling a number of needles at it. But, incredibly, they just bounced right off the Akuma's body.

"Die, filthy Exorcists!" The Akuma howled in a voice guttural and hardly recognizable. It flung its arms out and screamed a long, drawn out scream, much like its predecessor. The Exorcists (and for that matter, any other human being in the vicinity) felt as if their brains were exploding. They fell to the ground, covering their ears in a futile attempt to block out the sound. It wasn't just ear-piercing. It was brain-wracking and excruciating.

By the time the Akuma fell silent, all the Exorcists already had blood streaming from their ears and covering their hands. They would not know this until later, but all the humans within a one mile radius had had their heads blown up from the sound emitted by the Akuma. They were lucky that they had their Innocence, which had somehow managed to protect them from the same sad fate.

Kanda looked up at the smirking Akuma with hate and disgust in his eyes. With a tremendous effort, he lifted Mugen and lunged at the Akuma. The Akuma gave a weird sound that could be interpreted as a laugh. Then it swung its leg out, catching Kanda neatly in the chest and hurling him back.

Krory growled, a low, ferocious sound. His single lock of white hair was streaked back, and the bloodlust was evident in his eyes. He shot forward at the Akuma, but was forced back. Without missing a beat, he attacked again, like a ferocious beast, and engaged the Akuma in hand-to-hand combat.

Allen gasped at the sudden pain in his head. He sank to his knees, groaning. What was happening. His left arm began to hurt horribly, writhing till it was in an impossible shape.

A sudden agony shot through his eye, as if Road had put another candle through it, and it began bleeding. Just before he blacked out, he sensed, or saw the presence of a new, never-seen-before Akuma.

A Level Five.


	9. Chapter Eight

Krory gave a snarl as he was thrown to one side by the Level Five. Lenalee struggled to stand, but her legs would not support her weight. The Akuma scanned the room before its eyes settled upon Miranda.

With what seemed like a gruesome grin on its face, the Akuma slowly made its way towards Miranda.

Then there was a loud explosion-like noise, and a roar as columns of flame shot up around the Akuma. It stepped back, looking around at the flames, stunned as the Exorcists were.

There was a loud crack and a tremendous crash as the ceiling caved in. When the dust had settled, the Akuma was left staring at the man before him.

'Allen' stood on the rubble, his arms folded as he smirked cockily at the Level Five. His voice was dangerously calm as he asked, "So, you decided to try and go for some easy prey, eh?"

The Akuma slowly backed away, sensing the malicious aura surrounding 'Allen'.

"Well?" 'Allen's' voice was sharp as a whip. He unfolded his arms and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

The Level Five gave an inhuman shriek as it lunged at 'Allen'.

'Allen' responded with a perfectly timed backflip, landing neatly on the Akuma's back. He brought his fist down, and Lenalee winced as she heard a loud crack. The Akuma hit the ground with a slam.

'Allen' leapt off the Akuma. He clenched his fist, and flames engulfed it. Without warning, he set upon the Akuma, punching and kicking like a wild animal. The Exorcists couldn't even see the attacks, they could only see a blur of movement and hear the agonized screams from the Akuma.

When 'Allen' finally stepped back, away from the Akuma, all that was left of it was a charred mess that would have to be scraped off the floor. Even as they watched, the Akuma's remains disintegrated into ash.

'Allen' turned to glare at the Exorcists with his piercing gray eyes. He looked merciless and murderous. As he shook his hands, the flames were extinguished, but it did not make him look any less threatening.

"Oi, Moyashi. We have to get back to the Black Order, so you better come along." Kanda ordered with false bravado. He tried to hide the fact that his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

'Allen' turned his gaze upon the samurai, and his words were emotionless as he said, "The 'Moyashi' you refer to is Allen Walker, not me."

"Are you not Allen Walker?" Bookman questioned, raising a brow. His legs were placed far apart, ready to fight, or more likely run, if 'Allen' attacked.

'Allen' gave a bitter smile, one the Exorcists had never seen on his face before. In a voice equally full of hate, he answered, "Oh, how I wish I were. A million times a day, I wish I were Allen Walker. And I should be! I should have been the one to survive! I would be so much stronger, so much more beneficial to this war than the pathetic weakling you call Allen Walker."

"Allen IS strong!" Miranda protested, before she shrank back from 'Allen's' glare.

'Allen' began to pace the room as he ranted, "Yes. I should have been the one to live. Not him. Why was it him anyway? What right did he have to do that? What use is he to the world anyway? He is nothing but a mewling weakling begging for pity! I would be of so much more use to this world!" He seemed suddenly oblivious to the presence of the other Exorcists, who automatically took steps away from 'Allen'.

Lavi whispered fearfully, "The guy's insane." All the other Exorcists, even Kanda, nodded vigorously in evident agreement.

'Allen's' voice increased in volume and passion, until he was shouting. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped in mid-sentence. His fists clenched and his teeth grated, as his body suddenly jerked. With a cry of agony, he fell to the ground. His body twisted, wracked with pain, and his hands lifted to cup his head. He seemed to be having a fit.

'Allen' got to his knees with a great effort, and began to knock his head against the ground, harder and harder. He started to scream, "No! This body is mine! I won't let you take it back!" Repeatedly, he shrieked, "Mine! Mine!" The pain seemed to overcome him, and he flailed in agony.

Then, as if the pain and exhaustion from overexertion had finally overtook him, 'Allen' laid his head onto the ground and fainted.


	10. Chapter Nine

"So you're telling me he went insane?" Komui asked skeptically as he stared at the Exorcists. The Exorcists looked at each other hesitantly, then Lavi broke in, "It seemed that way. He seemed crazy, the way he was talking so feverishly to himself…" His voice trailed off. For a long moment, there was an awkward silence.

Then Komui clapped his hands together, and said, in a voice that imitated his usual cheerfulness, "Well, now that we've got him back, we can finally operate on him and see what's wrong with him!"

That statement brought a roar of dissent. For a while, there was chaos as Exorcists shouted and yelled at Komui for bringing up that ridiculous suggestion again. Finally, when Lavi had silenced the rest of them with a roar of, "Shut UP!", he looked at Komui and said in a tired tone, "This isn't a fail-safe method. In fact it might just end up making things worse. Do you want to take that risk, and pay the price if things go wrong? Cos I certainly don't."

Komui looked just as tired, but his voice was strong and determined as he replied, "I'm willing to take that risk. Other than letting things be, this is our only method. And I intend to try it. Because waiting will definitely make things worse, but this may not. So…"

Before Komui could even finish his sentence, the Exorcists were already shaking their heads, almost in unison. Lenalee argued, "There has to be another way! Maybe we're just not looking hard enough. And _anything _has to be better than the brain surgery you intend to operate on Allen!"

Krory and Miranda nodded furiously in agreement with her words.

Komui sighed, "You guys just aren't absorbing what I'm telling you! There _is_ no other solution! We have to do this!"

Kanda responded angrily, "You're just trying to justify your own actions because you _know_ they're wrong!"

As Komui was about to argue back, there was a groan and Allen turned over, cupping his head. Slowly, his eyes opened, and he blinked rapidly a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Komui?" he asked blurrily. "Guys? What…where am I?"

"You're back at the Black Order, Allen. Just relax and rest. You've had a hard time." Komui said, putting a comforting hand on Allen's shoulder and gently pushed him back down onto the seat.

Allen lay back down without resistance, cradling his head and looking slightly ill. As he tried to make himself comfortable, Komui said, "So, now that you're back, we'd best have your operation handled as quickly as possible!"

Allen just nodded weakly, closing his eyes. Komui, on the other hand, kept his eyes trained on Allen's face, unwilling to meet the outraged gazes of the other Exorcists. In a soft voice, speaking to every Exorcist in the room, he said, "This is for the best."

This is…most remarkable." A voice said thoughtfully. The Millennium Earl sat at the head of the table, pondering deeply.

All around him, his family was busy eating. Skin, as usual, was upset that the food was not sweet enough and was busy beating up the Akuma. Jesdebi and Debitto were stuffing each other's faces with food like two wild barbarians. Wisely, Tyki, Road and Sheryl were the only ones able to eat like normal people, with good table manners. None of them seemed to be paying particular attention to The Earl, who had just received a report from one of his high-leveled Akuma.

The Earl looked up and pierced Tyki with his demonic, sadistic eyes, :Tyki-pon, I need you to do something for me. You too, my dear Wisely."

Wisely and Tyki looked up. Tyki looked surprised and curious to be called. Wisely, however, looked simply bored. In a drawling tone he asked, "Really? Reconnaissance? Such a simple job for two Noahs? Do you really think that this mission will be so difficult?"

The Noahs' heads whipped around at his words.

The Earl chuckled, "Oh yes, Wisely. This is a very important mission, though not necessarily difficult. But because it's so important, I have decided to send you two along."

"What IS the mission?" Tyki asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"As Wisely said, reconnaissance. I want you to go to the Black Order and spy on them." The Earl replied calmly, rocking back and forth in his chair.

Tyki looked disbelieving, "Spy? Some simple job like that for the two of us? Why?"

The Earl's eyes gleamed menacingly, "Oh, it's not that simple. It seems that Allen Walker has developed a certain…strength. He has single-handedly defeated four of my Level Five Akuma, something which has been unheard of. Considering that, not long ago, he was still struggling to beat a Level Four, I simply cannot see how he could handle my precious Level Fives. So I want you two to go to the Black Order and spy on them. Discover what is the secret of Allen Walker's newfound strength."

"And when we're done with that duty?" Wisely asked, as if the mission would be a piece of cake.

The Earl's ever-present smile grew wider still, and he seemed to emanate a malicious aura as he replied, "Exterminate him."


	11. Chapter Ten

Aside from the beeping of the machines and the steady breathing of the occupants, the operating room was completely silent. Komui worked quickly and efficiently, while the other nurses held his equipment and handled other such duties. They worked in almost absolute silence, all well aware of how carefully they must handle this operation.

Allen Walker lay on the operation table, motionless. He had been put into a deep sleep, and for good reason, since Komui Lee was currently in the process of sawing his head apart.

Komui lifted the scalpel and began to cut. As he widened the cut, one of the nurses' eyes went wide. She backed away, slowly, fearfully. Then, with a ear-piercing scream, she fled the operating room.

"Mandy!" the Head Nurse called out, taking a single step toward the door and the fleeing nurse.

"Control yourself!" Komui barked sharply. He turned slightly to glare at the Head Nurse. She hesitated for a moment, then returned to her position. Komui focused on Allen once again. Before long, every single person in the operating room (other than Allen. Duh.) could see what had caused Mandy the nurse to flee in such terror.

Allen Walker's head was a gray pulpy thing, its colour not unlike his eyes. The horrifying thing was that, in the middle of his head, was one pulsing eyeball. Several nurses turned away to retch right on the spot. The Head Nurse and Komui both controlled themselves, although both also looked slightly green in the face.

"What is this?" The Head Nurse asked, in horror and fascination.

"An eyeball. In the middle of his head." Komui answered promptly.

The Head Nurse glared at Komui, annoyed, "I can see that for myself. But…how?" She was confused. What had caused this never-heard-of miracle?

"It's been a documented possibility." Komui replied, staring down at the eyeball, which twitched and looked at them. "It's said that in many pregnant mothers, there are actually two fetuses instead of one, but often only one is born. That's because the stronger, surviving fetus devours or absorbs its little twin."

"You're telling me Allen Walker is a cannibal?" The Head Nurse questioned, a hint of hysteria in her voice.

Komui shrugged. He paused, taking a scalpel and preparing to poke at the eye, but it blinked and glared at him, causing him to jerk back, startled. Then he continued, "What I want to know is how in the world this eyeball came to be. The remains of the devoured fetus-if there were any- should have existed at a molecular level. It shouldn't have developed into an eyeball. And it doesn't explain Allen's personality transformations at all."

The duo, and the other nurses who had recovered themselves, stared at the eyeball in silence.

Then, all of a sudden, people in other parts of the Order began to scream.

Wisely sighed as he followed after Tyki, saying, "We were told to reconnoiter, not launch an assault on the Black Order."

Tyki gave his brother a cocky grin, replying, "This way works just fine too.

Wisely would have slapped his forehead in exasperation, except for the fact that it would have hurt his eye.

"Stop right there, Noah!"

Lavi and Kanda stood in front of Tyki and Wisely, their Innocences ready for battle. Lenalee, Krory and Miranda were right behind them, and both Noahs had a feeling that more Exorcists were coming.

Tyki put both his hands up in an attempt to calm the Exorcists and said in a slightly soothing tone, "Okay people, relax. We just want to know where Allen Walker is. Can you just tell us that?"

Kanda sneered, "Why would we tell you that? So you can kidnap him? You're not getting anything but a trashing, Noah!"

Wisely sighed, rubbing his temples, "I told you this was a bad idea, Tyki."

Tyki glared at his companion, "You could help me instead of just moaning and complaining!"

Wisely shrugged. He stood motionless for a moment, then he answered, "Allen Walker's in an operating room. They're operating on him because…" His voice trailed off as his brows furrowed. Then he stared at the Exorcists and asked questioningly, "He transforms? What does that mean?"

The Exorcists just glared at him, their lips pressed firmly into thin lines.

Wisely sighed, throwing his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "Fine, fine, whatever. You deal with them, Tyki. I'll go hunt for our missing brother."

"He's not your brother!" Lenalee said sharply, before she could stop herself. Wisely merely smiled at her before striding away from the Exorcists.

"Hey!" Lavi protested. He moved forward to attack Wisely, but found his way blocked by Tyki. Tyki grinned at Lavi, lifting both hands into the air. The ground started to rumble. Then thick, thorny vines shot out of Tyki's hands, smashing into Lavi and throwing him back. Tyki dropped his hands to his sides and laughed, "Who's next?"

Wisely, in his human form, was able to walk past many of the Black Order personnel without being detected. Many of them were running about in panic that a Noah had infiltrated the Order, and he could hear the sounds of fighting coming from behind him. But his job was to find Allen Walker, so he tuned out everything else, focusing on getting to the 'operating room' in Lenalee Lee's thoughts.

Before long, Wisely found himself standing in the corridor outside the operating room, which was completely deserted. His lips curved upwards into a smirk. That had been easy enough. Holding out one hand, he reached for the door, and pushed.

Komui looked up, startled, as the door swung open. He stared at Wisely in confusion and demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing here? What's going on outside?"

Wisely slowly strode into the operating room, taking his time. He looked at the eye in Allen's forehead, clearly fascinated. Then he chuckled, "Well well. He looks a little like me now, doesn't he?" Wisely reached up to his turban and began to unwrap it, slowly and deliberately. Komui's eyes widened when he saw the three extra eyes in Wisely's forehead, and he croaked, "You…you're that Noah."

Wisely smiled gently, as his skin turned gray, "That's right. My name is Wisely. And now you shall step aside and let me take Allen Walker away."

Komui's mouth went awfully dry. He hesitated, staring down at the youth, not knowing what to do.

Wisely frowned suddenly, "Or maybe you should stitch him up first. Yes, go ahead and do it now."

Komui was motionless.

"Go on!" Wisely's voice was a snarl as he glared at Komui.

His body stiff and unwilling, Komui began the process of stitching Allen up.

Wisely watched and waited patiently for Komui to finish. The other nurses had slowly backed away from Wisely, gathering at the corner of the room as they stared fearfully at Wisely. Then, all of a sudden, Wisely's eyes went wide. He looked at Allen, confused and stunned. In his astonishment, he exclaimed out loud, "That boy has **two** consciousnesses in his mind!"


	12. Chapter Eleven

Everyone stopped what they were doing at once, shocked. Even Komui, stopped what he was doing and looked up at Wisely, stunned. In an astonished, disbelieving tone, he said, "What? Two personalities?"

Wisely himself was too astounded to respond. He strode forward, until he was directly in front of Allen Walker's nearly-stitched-up head. His gaze was filled with wonder and admiration for what he had thought to be impossible until now. He breathed, "Wonderful. Truly wonderful. Two distinct minds thinking distinctly different thought…How is this even possible? Unless…unless Allen Walker has a split personality."

Komui's eyes widened. Indeed, a split personality would fit the bill. It would explain all his supposedly inexplicable 'transformations'.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Allen Walker began to twitch.

"Hurry up and stitch him up! His other side is mad and it's gonna wake him up!" Wisely barked at Komui.

Hurriedly, Komui continued his work of stitching Allen together. He worked at a phenomenal speed. Before long, he was done. As he finally stepped back, still slightly shell-shocked, Allen Walker began to stir.

Without hesitation, Wisely moved forward. He lifted Allen up easily and carried him out of the operating room. As he reached the door, he gave the other occupants a cocky grin and said, "See you." Then he was gone.

Kanda panted as he slid to the ground. Tyki Mikk stood before the Exorcists, in his knight form. Even as he watched, Tyki grabbed Lavi easily by the throat and hurled him against the wall.

Lavi slammed hard against the wall, and Odzuchi Kodzuchi slid from his grasp.

Lenalee, Marie, Krory and Miranda lay in different positions, all over the place, panting and trying to regain their breath as they glared at the fearsome Noah. None of the generals were present, since most of them were actually out in town either drinking(Cross), shopping(Cloud), painting(Tiedoll) or just threatening random passers-by(obviously Sokalo). And, the famous General Allen Walker was also MIA, for obvious reasons.

Just at that moment, Wisely appeared, carrying Allen on his shoulder effortlessly. He called cheerily to Tyki, "Job accomplished. Let's go!" Tyki nodded and was about to follow Wisely out, when Allen suddenly gave a great shudder.

Wisely stiffened. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then smashed into the ground like a dead weight, groaning.

'Allen' leapt away from the Noah. His eyes gleamed as he viewed the wreckage around him. Then his eyes fell upon the Noah, and he said pleasantly, "I believe you are Tyki Mikk, Noah of Pleasure?"

Tyki gave a guttural growl.

"I must thank you. Your almost-fatal injury to Allen's body was what allowed me to start growing again, so that I now have control over this body, however unsatisfactory it may be." 'Allen' continued, in the same pleasant tone. He reached up and smoothed his hair back, "Thus, I have decided to spare you this once. Go now and I'll let you off."

Tyki paused. Then he transformed back into the more humanoid version of himself and demanded, "What the hell are you talking about, boy? Have you gone insane?"

"No! He's not insane! Allen Walker has a split personality, and I mean that literally. This Allen Walker is far stronger than his count-"Wisely broke off suddenly as 'Allen' looked down at him. 'Allen' looked disgustedly at the Noah and kicked him once, brutally, in the stomach. Then he looked back up at Tyki and flung his arms out, "No matter how repulsive and pathetic your fellow is, I'm afraid he's right."

Lavi gasped at 'Allen's' words. A split personality? Was he hearing this right?

'Allen' turned to look at Lavi, a slight smile on his face, "That's right. I, if I had been born, would have been Allen Walker's twin brother. As it was, when the two of us were still fetuses, he…devoured me, in a sense. And I merged with him. I should have ceased to exist from then on, but my molecules apparently were still present in his head. So when Tyki here 'killed' Allen, his Innocence's attempt to save Allen's life somehow jumpstarted my molecules such that I started growing again. So now I exist, as another personality in Allen's head. A personality far more powerful, such that it is able to take control of its brother's body and even use its brother's weapons in a far more potent way. Up till now, I still don't understand why it was he, the weakling, who survived."

"No! Allen was no weakling. You are the weakling!" Lenalee protested, her voice strong despite her pain. "You know nothing but how to fight and cause suffering. You can't even call yourself human!" Her eyes blazed with hatred and disgust as she glared at 'Allen'.

'Allen', however, merely looked amused. Coolly, he replied, "If this is the standard of humans, then I'd rather not be one." He looked back at Tyki and said calmly, "So? I can let you go now, if you'd leave at once. I do know how to repay a debt, after all."

Tyki was equally calm, as he ran a hand through his curly hair and said, "Unfortunately I quite like that boy, and seeing vermin like you inhibit his body is a rather disgusting sight. So, I stay."

'Allen' looked genuinely regretful for a moment when he heard Tyki's words. Then his mouth curved into a malicious, evil smile and he laughed, "So be it!"

Before Tyki could react, 'Allen' hurled himself into Tyki's body, and Tyki flew right through the wall. With a howl, 'Allen' threw his hands into the air, and the air around him literally began to burn. Flames danced all around him, threatening and dangerous.

"Oh god…" Miranda shrank back from 'Allen' fearfully. Marie maneuvered his body such that he was shielding her, but he too was scared of this terrible new Allen.

Before 'Allen' could send the flames flying at them, Kanda gave a great bellow of, "Beansprout, stop this!"

'Allen' froze. He cocked his head to one side, and a puzzled look crossed his face. Then he spasmed and hit the floor, the flames dying out at once. He moaned, writhing in agony.

"What's going on?" Lavi asked cautiously.

Wisely listened hard for a moment before replying, "Allen Walker responded to the call of 'Beansprout'. They're fighting hard for the control of his body now. We have to help Allen Walker regain control. As much as I dislike him, I'd rather have him than his twin."

Just as they all made their way to stand in a circle around Allen, Allen's head shot up, and his eyes gleamed with hatred and malice.

The twin was back, and he was in control.


	13. Chapter Twelve

"Do not touch me!" 'Allen' spat, leaping to his feet in one fluid motion. He glared at the Exorcists and Noahs with piercing eyes and sneered, "See how weak Allen Walker is? He cannot even fight against me for control over his own body!"

The Exorcists looked at him with hatred in their eyes, but their enmity merely made him laugh.

Wisely and Tyki looked at each other, an ominous feeling in them. What was to be done now?

Just then, Komui charged down the corridor. Throwing a dirty look at 'Allen', he shouted to the others, "I've figured it out! If we can get that eyeball out of him, we should be able to kill his other self! You have to knock him out."

'Allen's' face twisted in anger at Komui's words. Raging, he pointed a finger at Komui and snarled, "You will not dare to do any such thing. You will bow to my might!"

"When hell freezes over!" Komui shot back.

'Allen' howled. He lunged at Komui, but Kanda threw himself into his way, and the two collided, landing heavily on the ground. Kanda hissed, "You won't get at a single one of us!" He lifted Mugen and prepared to slash at 'Allen'.

But 'Allen' was simply too quick for him. His face turned into a smirk, and he lashed out with his foot, hitting Kanda's hands with incredible force. Kanda gave a gasp of pain and nearly dropped Mugen. Taking advantage of this, 'Allen' flipped Kanda's body around, wresting Mugen away from him. Laughing cruelly, he held the Innocence in two hands and _snapped. _

"Oh god…" Miranda whispered, already close to fainting as she watched the shards of Kanda's Innocence fall to the ground.

"It doesn't matter! Mugen can be repaired! Get at the beansprout!" Kanda roared, writhing furiously as he tried to twist himself out of 'Allen's' grip.

'Allen merely laughed again, amused, "Not so easy, my friend."

Krory shot forward, smashing into 'Allen' and throwing him several metres back. At once, Marie, Lenalee and Lavi joined the fray as well. But 'Allen' was far too strong for them, and he alone was able to match all of them.

Before long, all the Exorcists were either slumped on the ground, unconscious, or far too exhausted to even get up. 'Allen', on the other hand, still looked full of vitality and energy as he stood upright in the middle of the corridor. Throwing his hands out, he laughed delightedly and called, "So who's next?"

"Me." Tyki replied calmly. He lifted his hands to the air and was almost immediately surrounded by his cannibalistic Tease.

'Allen' raised an eye, "Allen Walker may have been weak enough to fall prey to that, but I am not. Just surrender now and I'll make the end quick and easy for you. Otherwise…" his voice trailed off as he grinned menacingly, drawing a finger across his throat.

"Oh really? Then you just have to wait and see my trump card." Tyki was just as collected as before as he answered.

"Trump card? You have NO trump card!" 'Allen' exclaimed.

That, unfortunately, was the wrong thing to say.

Because just at that moment, the front doors of the Black Order blew open, and every single Noah currently in existence strode into the Black Order.


	14. Chapter 13

'Allen' stood motionless in shock for a few moments. Tyki grinned at his look and taunted, "No trump card, huh? What do you call this then, if it's not a trump card?"

'Allen's' face twisted in rage as he heard Tyki, and he hissed venomously, "Cowards. You couldn't beat me on your own, so you called for back up? Just what other dirty tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

Tyki shrugged nonchalantly. Sheryl, however, called out smugly to 'Allen', "This is SO not considered dirty tricks. It's merely what you call tactics or planning. Which you clearly lack."

'Allen' gave a howl of rage and lunged at Sheryl, who dodged out of the way. Then the Noahs engaged 'Allen' in battle, and the entire Black Order seemed to shake as they fought.

The Exorcists edged away from them cautiously, heading towards Komui. They all looked worried and haggard, having been defeated easily by 'Allen' previously. Lenalee asked, "So what now? We can't just let them kill Allen, can we? I mean, the real Allen would die too, right?"

Komui gave a grim nod, "That's almost certainly the case. Unless, by some freak miracle, this twin dies and Allen takes control over his body again. Which is practically impossible."

"So what can we do now?" Lavi asked the obvious question. There was a dead silence as everyone considered the options.

It was Komui who first articulated it, "We could let them kill him. In which case both Allen and his twin would die. Or we could somehow weaken the twin so Allen could take over again. But the only way we can do that is to physically weaken his body, which would result in Allen's body being damaged. Or Road could enter into 'Allen's' mind and somehow twist it and make him go insane so Allen could control his body again. But somehow I have a feeling Road would go too far and end up making both Allen and his twin go crazy. After all, she's **that** sadistic."

"Basically every single option you've given us is impossible, or will end up damaging Allen himself. So we can't use any of them." Kanda stated in a matter-of-fact tone, voicing the thoughts of all the Exorcists.

"There is one other way." Komui said suddenly, his voice soft. The Exorcists looked up at him.

"If we can somehow knock him unconscious, I can perform surgery on him and cut the parts of his twin out. This would most likely kill the consciousness of the twin, so Allen could take control of his body again. But it's very dangerous. And we have to get those pesky Noahs out of the way first."

The Exorcists glanced at each other, considering this alternative. Then, one by one, they nodded, "This is the best method."

Kanda took charge, "We'll wait till the Noahs have 'Allen' unconscious. Then we'll distract them so Komui can grab Allen and perform his surgery." The others nodded in agreement. So the Exorcists poised themselves for battle, prepared to charge at the Noahs and begin fighting them.

The only problem was that the Noahs were all collapsed in a circle around 'Allen'. With a snort of contempt, 'Allen' spat, "Even with all your backup, you still can't beat me. How pathetic."

Road groaned, "If only the Earl were here. He would put this idiot in his place."

'Allen' threw his arms out, as if embracing everything as he cried out, "No one and nothing can beat me! I am invincible, and this world shall be mine!"

"Not if I can help it!" another new voice shouted. The Exorcists were shocked to hear Reever. Even as they watched, Reever lifted a dart gun and fired it repeatedly at 'Allen', hitting him all over the body, until he resembled a porcupine.

'Allen' swayed for a moment. Then he slumped to the ground with a crash.

"No way!" Lavi exclaimed, shocked and laughing. "You got him, Reever! You got him when none of us could! That's awesome!"

Reever grinned weakly, as he wiped the sweat from his brow, "I wasn't sure it would work, but I had to try." The Exorcists surrounded Reever, clapping him on the back and singing his praises.

The Noahs looked stunned beyond belief. A human had bested them. A human had defeated an opponent they could not. They were amazed.

Kanda turned to face them. He drew Mugen and pointed it at their faces, "Get out of here now, before I kill you all. Go on."

The Noahs were so shellshocked that they willingly got up and stumbled out of the Black Order. Or perhaps they knew that they were outnumbered and far too weak to fight after their humiliating defeat. But before they left, Sheryl turned to face Kanda, and bared his teeth menacingly, "This is not the end, Exorcist. Mark my words. This is not the end." Then they were gone.

Komui breathed a sigh of relief, "Now that they're gone…

"It's time to get down to business."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Kanda strode forward and flung Allen's limp body over his shoulder, giving warning glares to anyone who came close. Komui and the other Exorcists followed closely behind him as they strode towards the operating room. Lenalee and Lavi brought up the rear as they whispered worriedly to each other.

"Do you think this is safe? I mean, Brother's going to be _digging_ uh…things out of Allen's brain. Won't it damage him?" Lenalee asked concernedly. She clearly felt that Komui's surgical skills could do with some improvement.

Lavi was equally worried, but he understood the situation better, "Under normal circumstances I would knock Komui out and throw him into a locked room for even thinking of this. But we have no other choice. This is the best method and we can only try and pray that Komui won't screw up."

The ominous look that the Exorcists gave each other spoke volumes about their faith in Komui.

(Inside Allen's mind. O.o)

"How dare they! To lock me up here like a beast!" 'Allen' roared, hurling himself against a wall of unconsciousness, unable to regain control of Allen's body.

"Isn't that just what you are, Arawn?" Allen asked tiredly. He was slumped on the ground, exhausted after having taken a beating from his twin brother Arawn.

Arawn turned and shot Allen a look of utter disgust, "Better than whatever pathetic being you are. How do I get out of here?"

Allen sighed exasperatedly, "How would I know? Just because this is my body doesn't mean I know everything about it. If I did, you would be the one trapped up and I would be in control." His voice took on a bitter tone at the end as he glared resentfully at his twin.

Arawn, however, just sneered condescendingly, "Be glad that you've actually had a body to enjoy for the past fifteen years, while I've had to exist as a mere speck in YOUR brain." He turned away and continued to hammer persistently on that invisible wall of unconsciousness trapping him in. Allen just merely laid his head down, trying to regain his energy to continue fighting back against Arawn.

"Anyone who's going to feel queasy staring at Allen's bared brain had better get out now." Komui called as he lifted the scalpel, looking around at the Exorcists. There was a low murmur, before Exorcists and scientists began to file out slowly. Lavi raised an eye at Miranda, who stayed put, "Are you sure you can stand this?"

Miranda nodded stubbornly, "Allen is my friend. I should be here for him."

Lavi shrugged. All he cared about at the moment was seeing his best friend pull through.

Other than the breathing of the occupants, the operating room was utterly silent as everyone watched Komui slowly, deliberately slice open Allen's head.

Miranda already began to look slightly uncomfortable at the sight of the gray mushy contents of Allen's head. Upon seeing the twitching, blinking eyeball, she turned an alarming shade of green, "Oh dear...maybe I should have…"

As she swooned, Marie caught her. Silently, he carried her out, leaving the other Exorcists to stare in fascination and disgust.

"This…this is a scientific miracle." Bookman breathed, staring at the eyeball in wonder.

"A **disgusting **scientific miracle." Lavi added, wishing he had eaten less for lunch.

Komui ignored their comments, completely focused on the task before him. Then, he poised himself to dig the eyeball out. He paused for a moment, glancing around at the tense, grim faces of everyone else. Then he stabbed.

Arawn gave a howl of agony as he doubled over, clutching his head. He slammed to his knees, moaning in agony. Allen looked up, startled by his brother's sudden cry.

"No…this isn't happening." Arawn gasped, squirming. He turned around awkwardly on his knees to face Allen, muttering curses.

Allen's jaw fell open.

Arawn's hand was cupping his face, but Allen could still see the ruby red blood streaming down from one side of his face. Then Arawn removed his hand, and it was all Allen could do to not jerk back in fear and disgust.

A deep cut seemed to be opening up in Arawn's right eye, the cause of his intense pain. Even as Allen watched, the eyeball seemed to strain outwards, and abruptly popped out of Arawn's eye, releasing a spray of blood.

Arawn screamed, long and drawn out.

Allen drew back fearfully. What was happening? Then it registered to him: the others must be doing something to his physical body to be hurting Arawn. But why wasn't he, Allen, hurt?

He had thought too soon. Just at that moment, an excruciating agony tore through his head, and his body tensed automatically, his hands going to his head. He whimpered. What in the world was going on?

Even as Allen fought to control himself, Arawn was pushing himself to his feet, ignoring the pain in his eye. He panted hard, focused intensely on Allen. He knew that out of the two of them, whoever was left standing would regain control of Allen's body. With that in mind, he gave a fearsome roar, and lunged at his brother.

Allen sensed more than saw Arawn lunge at him, and he threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding his brother. He rolled to a halt, then, ignoring the pain in his head, hurled himself at Arawn. The two of them entered an all-out brawl, yelling, punching and kicking wildly at each other. Arawn managed to flatten Allen on the ground. Giving a gruesome grin, he said breathlessly, "Fun way to hang out huh, _brother_?"

Allen's eyes filled with hate as he punched Arawn in the head. With an almost inhuman force, he lifted Arawn and hurled him into the 'invisible wall of unconsciousness'.

Arawn did a back-flip, landing on his feet. With the blood staining his face, he looked like a true Grim Reaper as he bared his teeth, "You can't beat me, Allen. Face that. Just surrender to me now."

Allen gave Arawn a grin, suddenly confident, "Maybe I can't beat you. But we can." He closed his eyes, taking a step back. His breathing turned even, and slowly, his skin turned a shade of light gray. When he opened his eyes again, they were slit-like and golden, like a cat's, and he had wavy, shoulder-length black hair.

"My name is Neah, the Fourteenth Noah. And I think it's time to teach you a lesson."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Arawn stared at the unfamiliar Neah, confused. Neah smirked, arrogance written all over his face, "It seems from you expression that you had no idea I existed in Allen's body as a third, separate entity from the two of you. Well, now you know."

The puzzlement in Arawn's eyes cleared, "So. You're just my brother's little puppet. I should have guessed he had someone backing him in power."

Neah's eyes flashed dangerously, "A puppet? I'm afraid not. I merely exist within his body. What I do is of my own accord."

"Then why're you helping Allen now?" Arawn demanded. He lifted a hand, wiping the blood from his face as he looked at Neah questioningly.

Neah gave a nonchalant shrug, "His existence is more pleasing and more beneficial to me than yours is. So why not help him take you down?" He grinned, "Does no harm to me."

"Dog!" Arawn spat at Neah, all his disgust shown in that single gesture. His legs bent down slightly, gathering strength, then he leapt at Neah, his hands outstretched.

Neah cocked his head to one side, watching as Arawn lunged at him, an odd gleam in his eye. Just as Arawn came close to him, Neah clenched his fist and punched Arawn right in the jaw with astounding force, a musical note appearing slightly before his fist as it connected with Arawn's face.

The punch was so strong Arawn was hurled all the way to the other side of the empty space that was Allen's mind, landing with a loud thump.

"Coming back for some more?" Neah called, a laugh in his tone. Arawn scrambled to his feet, his eyes shadowed with hatred as he heard Neah's taunting voice. With a fearsome bellow, he charged right at Neah, just like a raging bull.

Neah ducked to one side, easily avoiding Arawn. He laughed carelessly, further infuriating Arawn. "Don't you dare laugh at me!" Arawn screamed, completely unhinged as he lashed out wildly at Neah.

Neah deflected every blow with one hand, moving too fast to be seen. Then, a single fluid move, he grabbed Arawn and flipped him, smashing him into the ground and pinning him down with one hand, "This is fun, isn't it? To be pinned down, just like a weakling, helpless and pathetic."

Arawn's eyes smouldered with rage. He snarled, "Don't laugh at me! I won't allow you to!"

Neah sneered, "What can you do in such a helpless position?" He shifted his hand to Arawn's neck and tightened his grip, slowly but steadily increasing his pressure on Arawn's neck.

Arawn began to choke, his face turning blue, his lips gasping for air. His eyes showed his defiance, his refusal to lose, to die just like that. But Neah's grip was unforgiving, his eyes cold and hard as he watched his host's brother slowly die by his hand.

"This is the end, Arawn Walker." Neah said softly. Reaching down with both hands, he cradled Arawn's head in both his hands. Then, suddenly, abruptly, he gave a sharp twist of his hands.

With that, Arawn Walker was dead.

Slowly, Neah Walker rose to his feet. He lifted his eyes upwards, breathing in deeply. Then his lips cracked apart in a smile, "This is a favour I've done for you, Allen Walker. And one day, I'll be back to claim it."

Then his skin faded back to its normal colour, his hair turning white again, his eyes changing back to gray.

Allen Walker had returned to claim his own body.

Just as Komui had finished stitching up Allen's head again, Allen's eyes fluttered open and he sat up with a gasp.

"That was the weirdest dream!" Allen exclaimed, before anyone could say anything. Then he looked about, confused, not understanding, "Where am I?"

"Don't you remember anything?" Lavi asked, coming forward to stand beside his best friend.

"Remember what?" Allen asked, and the confusion written all over his face said everything there was to be said.


	17. Epilogue

Nearly a month had passed since Arawn's murder by Neah's hands. There had been nearly no reported attacks or death, which was extremely rare (more likely the Noahs had been too stunned by Arawn taking over Allen's body), and it was all very peaceful back at the Black Order.

The members of the Black Order had been stunned to find that Allen had practically no memory of anything he had experienced while Arawn had been fighting for the control of his body. All he remembered was that final battle in his mind, which he had thought of as a dream. He had described the dream to the others in great detail, emphasizing on the fact that it had been exceedingly weird and incomprehensive. The others, however, understood it completely, and they knew better than to just take it for a dream.

Puzzled, Lenalee had asked, "But why had Neah helped Allen? He didn't really have any reason to do so, right?"

"Not really, Lenalee." Komui had answered, stroking his sister's hair gently as he explained things to her in a weary voice. "There is no doubt that Arawn was stronger than Allen. Without Neah, Arawn would almost certainly have been the one who ended up with control over Allen's body. But having said that, having Arawn in control would also have meant that it would have been harder for Neah to take over Allen's body, which he eventually intends to do. So in the end, Neah Walker was still acting to protect his own interest. "

Everyone else tried to act as normal as possible around Allen, as if nothing had happened at all. They pretended that the Black Order had been wrecked by another of Komui's ridiculous and destructive inventions (Komui had been heartbroken to have been made the scapegoat) and set about restoring the place as fast as they could.

They need not have bothered.

Allen Walker's memory loss was all a fake on his part. Knowing and understanding the truth had hurt him. Despite his hatred of Arawn, who had caused him so much grief, Allen still had to concede that Arawn was his brother, and he could not help but feel sorrow and guilt for devouring his unborn brother. He could not bear to have everyone discuss Arawn and him as if they were two freaks of nature, could not bear to hear them whisper behind his back, could not bear for everyone to constantly bring up his twin and remind him of the terrible deed he had done to Arawn (even though it was unintentional). And so, in an attempt to run from the truth, to run from the horror of his birth, he had pretended not to remember anything, forcing everyone else to pretend along with him.

After all, some things are best left in the dark, never mentioned, always ignored, eternally feared.


End file.
